The Return of Nightshade
by Nexus Seraphim
Summary: A new Black Zero has come, but when a data transfer goes wrong, a supposed villian becomes the newest Hunter! Now, X and company will need his help, along with the mysterious Solo Hunter Aries, to stop the new Master of Mavericks, Dark Eagle! R&R PLZ
1. A Familiar Nemesis

**Megaman X: Return of Nightshade**

**Disclaimer: All Megaman X characters are copyright of Capcom. All OC's are mine. **

Well, this is my first real Megaman X fanfic, and I hope you enjoy it. Please, read and review, all comments are welcome…except for insults. If I get anything insulting…well, let's just say I have friends with big black cars.

Chapter 1: A Familiar Nemesis

"It's quiet in here," said Zero as he peered around the edge of the long, dimly lit corridor. "It's almost too quiet for comfort."

Behind him, Axl and X kept glancing around, as if they expected the shadows themselves to attack them. Then again, no one could really blame them for being on edge. This entire facility that they were in had been abandoned since during the first few Maverick Wars. Even if they were there to investigate a legitimate case, it was still immensely creepy.

"Zero, I hope you're keeping your eyes peeled for signs of trouble," said Axl, gripping his pistol tightly. "I would really hate to be caught off guard and gutted like the last few guys who came in here."

For the past several weeks, there had been reports of Reploids and humans being attacked by a mysterious Maverick inside this facility. Appearently, the majority of the victims, among them a Hunter recon squad, were found torn apart. The condition of the bodies indicated that they were killed by a saber slash after being put through their torment. Now, X, Zero, and Axl had been sent to neutralize this new threat.

"Axl, just stay calm," said X, trying to hide the fact that he was just as nervous as his friend. "As long as we watch each other's backs, we should be fine."

"The coast is clear, so let's get a move on," said Zero, interrupting the conversation as he proceeded down the corridor. The others followed him, still keeping their nerves alert for signs of an attack.

Suddenly, something dropped down into the corridor from the ceiling, just ahead of the Maverick Hunters. At the same time, the lights in the corridor came to life.

"Oh, my God, no," gasped Zero when he saw who it was.

The Reploid was an exact replica of Zero, except for the fact that his armor was black. Odd purple marks extended from the bases of his eyes down his face. His eyes were a glowing red, and his lips were pulled back in a savage grin. In his right hand, he was clutching a blue Z-Saber.

"Welcome to your demise, Maverick Hunter Zero," he said, his voice a perfect, although evil, imitation of Zero. "I am Nightshade Zero Mach-2."

"Damn, I can't believe they made another one of you!" growled Zero, drawing his green Z-Saber. "X, Axl, you two stay back! I'm going to take care of this bozo!"

"We'll see who takes care of whom, Zero! Prepare to die!" cried Nightshade as he charged at his doppelganger, his saber raised to strike.

Zero leapt over Nightshade's attack and slashed, but the black Reploid countered with the same speed and skill. The two Reploids battled viciously, sparks flashing from the clashing blades of their sabers. They ducked, weaved, and leapt off the walls of the corridor in their mad attempts to cut each other down.

"Do you think we should help him?" asked Axl as he observed the fight.

"Relax, Axl, Zero can handle this Nightshade," said X, not entirely sure if he really believed what he was saying.

Just then, they heard a loud cry. They looked just in time to see Zero back against the wall, pinned by Nightshade. X tried to rush to the aid of his friend, but ran into some sort of energy barrier that knocked him back three feet.

"Sorry, X, but I can't let you interfere," said Nightshade with a sneer. "I need to download some data from your friend here." He suddenly slapped his hand over the blue gem on Zero's helmet, and his hand seemed to glow as he began the data transfer.

"X, what is he doing?" cried Axl in a panic.

"He's trying to absorb Zero's data!" replied X as he tried to blast his way through the barrier. Unfortunately, even his charge shots couldn't break through.

Suddenly, something happened that surprised all of them. Nightshade's eyes suddenly popped wide open and he began screaming in agony. A burst of electricity surged through his body from his hand up to his own helmet gem. When it reached the gem, it gave off a flash of light, and Nightshade went flying back against the wall as if he had been struck with a heavy object. The barrier dropped, and X and Axl rushed over to Zero.

"Zero, are you okay, buddy?" asked X.

Zero stood and shook his head a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, "with the exception of a few bruises." He looked over at Nightshade. "Still, I wonder what the hell happened to him."

"I just want to know who made him," said X. "It couldn't have been the same person who made the last Nightshade."

"Maybe he can tell us himself. We're taking him back with us, and we're going to find out just where he came from," said Zero.

"Well, this is certainly interesting," said Gadget, one of the newest members of the Maverick Hunters. He was the spitting image of a scientist, dressed in a long, flowing white lab coat that hid most of his blue and silver armor. A pair of white rimmed goggles with blue lenses sat on his face, connected to a headset that went around the back of his head. His blue hair was long in the front, and hung just a little ways below the bottom of his headset in the back. At the moment, he was looking at a data pad containing the information from his scans of Nightshade, who was lying unconscious on a lab table in front of him.

With him in the lab was X, Zero, and Mona. Mona was a Reploid who had come over from Repliforce shortly after the Repliforce War. Her armor and uniform were very similar in design to those worn by Iris, but her hair was bright red.

"What's interesting, Gadget?" asked Mona, her hands clasped together in front of her chest.

"It seems that the power surge Nightshade received caused a short in his memory. Not only does he not have any memory about who created him and why, but his main program directives have been deleted. At the same time, the data he absorbed from Zero was mostly personality data, along with some scraps of info about all of us," said Gadget, tapping his foot thoughtfully as his eyes zipped across the data pad's screen.

"So we basically end up with nothing but a zonked out clone of me," said Zero, feeling irritated that they had lost just about every piece of data that could have been useful.

Just then, Nightshade stirred and groaned, slowly rising up to a sitting position.

"Ah, he seems to be coming around," said Gadget, turning to look at him. Zero and X tensed up, ready to strike at the first sign of hostility.

Nightshade slowly opened his eyes and looked around the lab a few times. "Where…where the heck am I?" he asked no one in particular.

"You're in one of the labs at Maverick Hunter HQ," said Gadget. "You've been unconscious for quite a while.

Nightshade looked at Gadget. "Oh yeah, I know you! You're that obsessive Poindexter with the hots for Alia!" he said with a smile.

Gadget remembered that Zero had once referred to him in such a manner. Still, he glared at Zero, causing the normally rock-hard Hunter to cringe back. If anything, Gadget had a reputation for being one of the most intimidating Reploids in the whole HQ, despite his normally mild temper.

Nightshade looked at the others. "Hey, what up, you guys," he said, hopping off the lab table. "Hi, I'm Nightshade Zero Mach-2, but you can call me Nightshade."

"Yeah, we know who you are," said X flatly. "You damn near killed me and Zero back where we found you."

Nightshade looked at him with an expression of genuine confusion. "I tried to do that?" he asked, pointing at himself. "Weird, I can't remember anything."

"Well, it's nice to have you here, Mr. Nightshade," said Mona, giving him her characteristic warm smile. Mona was one of those people who could tell if a Reploid was good or bad just by looking at them. As such, she knew that Nightshade was not a dangerous Reploid.

Nightshade smiled and knelt before her, taking her hand in his. "I must say, not only am I glad to be here, but you're even more beautiful in person," he said, kissing her hand like a knight of old.

Mona blushed lightly and giggled. "Why, thank you," she said, totally unaware that X and Zero were glaring daggers at Nightshade, their faces burning red with jealousy. After all, they had both been competing for Mona's affection ever since she had come to HQ.

Just then, a communication screen in the lab activated. An image of General Signas was on it.

"Gadget, how are things going in there?" he asked.

"Well, Nightshade has reactivated, sir," said Gadget. "Also, it seems that his memories have been erased, along with his main directives. Simply put, he's about as dangerous to us as a bowl of soup."

"I see," said Signas. "Well, I hate to do this to them, but I need X and Zero to go on another mission. Seems a group of Mavericks were spotted smuggling illegal goods into the city. From what our scouts told us, they're being pursued by another Reploid, one that we can't identify."

"Don't worry, General, we're on it!" said Zero. He and X dashed off, and Signas looked back at Gadget.

"Gadget, are you absolutely sure that Nightshade doesn't pose a threat to us?" he asked, staring hard at the scientist's face.

Without the slightest twitch or sign of hesitancy, Gadget gave the General his reply. "I'm sure beyond any doubt, General."

"In that case, send him with the others," said Signas. "I want to see for myself how he would perform in a situation where his loyalties would be tested."

"I don't think that will be a problem, sir," said Gadget.

Signas was confused. "What do you mean?"

"He already teleported out there."

"WHAT!"


	2. Aries the Solo Hunter

**Chapter 2: Aries the Solo Hunter**

Nightshade leapt from the roofs of the buildings, following the trail that would lead to where the truck carrying the smuggler's loot was. He wasn't sure how he knew where the smugglers were, or how he had been able to teleport here totally on his own. All he knew was that he was chasing Mavericks, and that he had to stop them.

His attention was suddenly grabbed by an explosion about five buildings ahead and to his left. "Well, looks like they ran into some trouble," he snickered, adjusting his course.

"Ah, son of a bitch!" yelled one of the Mavericks as he clambered out of the wrecked truck. "Who the hell trashed the ride!"

"I don't know!" said his partner, who was brushing soot off of his armor. "All I know is that if I find the little creep who did this, I'll tear him apart!"

"Wrong gender and I'd like to see you try!"

The two Mavericks turned around quickly to see a Reploid leap down to them from the balcony of a building.

"Holy crap, it's Zero the Maverick Hunter!" yelled one of the Mavericks, shaking in fear.

"That isn't Zero, you bubble head!" said the other. "That's a girl!"

Sure enough, the Reploid was a female, although her armor did have a decent resemblance to Zero's. However, it was a combination of light red and pink in color. Also, the jewel on the helmet was red in color, and shaped like a circle. On her left shoulder pad was a pink A, and in her right hand was a crimson beam saber, similar to the Z-Saber.

"That's right, boys, I'm not Zero," she said, her green eyes flashing as she tossed her head, causing her long, silver hair to swish through the air. "You can call me Aries, the Solo Hunter, and I'm afraid I can't let you two pukes get away with what you're up to!"

The lead Maverick, who resembled a samurai warrior, grinned at her mockingly. "Miss, you're in way over your head if you think you've got us beat!" he sneered.

Aries did not look fazed by the Maverick's comment. "Come on, there's only two of you, and you're both small fry's!" she said. "What's the worst that you could do to me?"

"It's not me that you should be worried about. You should be worried about what I was really carrying in this truck!" He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, a group of about twenty Preon robots leapt out of the wreckage of the truck, ready to do battle.

Aries managed to keep a straight face, but inside, she felt like the pit of her stomach had just turned to ice. _'Ah, hell, I've really got my work cut out for me now!' _she thought to herself. Preons were small, pod-like robots, each with a different function, but they were extremely deadly in large numbers. Still, Aries was not ready to run with her tail between her legs yet.

"Okay, let's dance, you overgrown trash cans!" she shouted, dashing at the Preons. She slashed through the front line with her saber, but soon found that charging in might have been a mistake, as she was forced to shift from attacking to defending. She danced and weaved among the Preons with an air of grace and agility that would have made Zero envious.

It was while she was engaged in this dance of death that she realized that the two Mavericks were getting away. "Hey, you get back here-whoa!" She suddenly felt her feet get yanked out from under her, sending her sprawling to the ground. She turned to see what had happened, only to become petrified at the sight of a Preon about to strike her with a powerful electrical claw.

A blue power blast, apparently a charged buster cannon shot, struck the Preon, blowing it to pieces. Aries looked up at a nearby balcony, where the shot had come from, and gasped. The long, flowing hair, the glowing saber, the shape of the armor…could it be the legendary Zero, she wondered.

Suddenly, she noticed something was wrong. This saber was a ghostly blue, while she had always remembered that Zero's saber was green. But, if this wasn't Zero, then who was he?

The mysterious Reploid leapt into the air, shouting, "Lie flat on the ground, lady!" As he was landing, he swung the saber with a cry of, "GHOSTFIRE SLASH!" A blade-like wave of blue energy surged out, destroying the remaining Preons. Aries was glad she had listened to him when he told her to duck. Once the remaining debris had settled, she climbed back up to her feet.

"Hey, are you okay, miss?" asked the Reploid as he stepped into the light.

Aries was about to answer, but her voice caught in her throat and her eyes widened when she finally saw him. _'He's…he's a black Zero,' _she thought in utter shock.

Nightshade noticed that she seemed rather stunned, so he repeated his question. "Miss, are you hurt or anything?"

Finally getting her composure back, she responded. "No, I'm okay, just a little shaken up," she said.

Nightshade looked off ahead of him when a beeping noise came through his wrist communicator. "Looks like X and Zero found the real smugglers," he said. Looking back at Aries, he said, "Just let the Maverick Hunters handle this, miss. You just take it easy or something." With that, he dashed off to where his companions were.

For a few moments, Aries just stood there, still in shock. Finally, her eyes narrowed, and she raised a hand, clenching it into a fist. "I finally found you…Black Zero!"

Off in an alley somewhere, the two running Mavericks were hiding behind a large dumpster.

"Oh, this just plain sucks hard," groaned the one who had done nothing but whine. "First, we get nailed by some chick from nowhere, and now the real cargo got caught by the real Maverick Hunters!" They had both received word from their partners that they had been caught by X and Zero.

The samurai Maverick was gritting his teeth in rage, his eyes flaming. "That bitch…those bastards…I'm going to make them all pay!" he snarled, reaching into the small case hanging on his hip, and pulling out what looked like a remote device.

His partner looked at him in horror. "What the heck do you think you're doing!" he screamed. "Are you out of your mind!"

The Maverick responded by pressing the button on the remote. "I don't give a crap now! They screwed with me, and I'm going to give them hell!"


	3. Uncovered Secrets

**Chapter 3: Uncovered Secrets**

Back at HQ, Nightshade was once again in the lab, being scanned and examined by Gadget. This time, however, Signas was in the lab with him, along with another member of the Hunters, Specter Raptor, a dinosaur-like Reploid.

Specter was at least as tall as Gadget, and his skin was dark gray, while his hair was long and silver. Two large bangs hung down to his shoulders, which were clad in silver shoulder guards. His armor was black and white, and a mysterious red design surrounded both of his eyes. He drummed his fingers on his arm as he observed Gadget working.

"Well, I think I might have an idea as to what Nightshade did earlier," said Gadget as he looked at the scan results. "It seems he has an instant teleportation drive of some kind, allowing him to teleport instantaneously without actually having to go through a transfer like us. As far as how he knew where to go, I'm still stumped," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, he didn't do anything I would consider contrary to our policies," said Signas, rubbing his chin. "I suppose we can allow him to work with us."

Suddenly, Gadget leaned over at the screen displaying the information, his eyes wide. "What in the hell?" he wondered out loud.

"Gadget, what's the matter?" asked Specter, walking over to the scientist's side.

"Specter, you said that you and Strike are the only ones with Quantum Circuits, right?" asked Gadget, his voice shaking a little.

Strike was Specter's younger brother, but he was just as powerful. Each of them contained a special Reploid microchip called the Quantum Circuit. The Quantum Circuit had long been considered a myth, a chip that could allow a Reploid to achieve immense, possibly infinite, power. Specter and Strike were the only Reploids to have Quantum Circuits, as they had all been created by the same scientist.

"Yeah, but why do you ask?" asked Specter, his eyes starting to show a hint of worry. He knew that Gadget was definitely spooked about something, which was a bad sign.

Gadget simply stepped back from the screen and pointed at a section of data.

Specter looked over it and he was overcome with shock. "No freaking way!" he gasped. "These readings, they can only come from one thing…a Quantum Circuit! But, how is that possible? Nobody else knew about the Quantum technology except for…" His voice died away as his eyes widened in fear. "It couldn't be him," he said, looking at Gadget.

"Yes, there's a chance it might be Dark Eagle," said Gadget. Dark Eagle was a Maverick, one who had practically booted Sigma from his seat of power as the number one Maverick. Not only that, but Strike had actually worked with Dark Eagle before joining the Hunters.

"So, Dark Eagle might be the one who built Nightshade?" asked Signas, who had heard the whole conversation.

"Yes, there is a very big chance that it was," said Gadget.

Nightshade, who had been out for the duration of the conversation, finally came to and got up off the table. "So, how is my bill of health, Gadget?" he asked.

After exchanging looks with the other two, Gadget said, "Well, you're in great shape, Nightshade. I give you a clean bill of health."

"Is something wrong?" asked Nightshade.

"No, we were just impressed by your scan readouts," said Signas. "Well, you're dismissed to do whatever you please."

Nightshade stretched his arms and said, "I'm going to the data library. I want to see if we have any information on a Reploid called Aries the Solo Hunter." He stepped out of the lab and left.

Signas looked at Gadget after a few moments. "Well, you're the scientist," he said. "What do you propose we do?"

Gadget rubbed his chin for a few seconds. "The most we can do is just to keep an eye on him when we can. That power surge that erased his mind destroyed anything that could be used to track him down, or place him under outside mind control. The only way he'd pose a threat now is if he just decided on his own to be evil. Even then, there is almost nil chance of that happening."

"Why do you say that?" asked Signas.

"Because, like I said earlier, he absorbed some aspects of Zero's personality during the data transfer he tried to pull. Just like Zero, he has a sense of justice, as well as distaste for Mavericks. At the same time, he knows everything that Zero knows about us. In other words, they're like identical twins."

"Man, who'd have thought that we'd have not only Zero, but his new twin brother," said Specter, shaking his head lightly.

"Life's full of surprises, amigo," said Gadget.

Back at a small, abandoned lab, Aries was unwinding from her exciting evening. Her armor was being cleaned, polished, and repaired by some of the lab machinery while she took a refreshing shower.

As the hot water cascaded over her body, her mind flashed back to memories of the day she had lost her creator, Dr. Wilcox. She remembered holding his lifeless body, which she had found on the floor of this lab, which had been nearly destroyed. As she sobbed uncontrollably, she had heard someone laughing evilly. Looking up, she had seen _him_…the monster made in the image of the noble Zero, who had been the inspiration for her own design. The Black Zero just laughed and departed, leaving her in a ruined lab, alone and broken-hearted.

She shut off the water, dried herself off, and put on a light blue robe. _'That abomination of a Reploid took away everything and everyone I ever had!' _she thought, her face set in a look of rage. _'I must determine if he is that same Black Zero from my past, and if he is…I'll make sure that this time, he pays!'_


	4. Aries confronts Nightshade

**Chapter 4: Aries confronts Nightshade**

The next day, X and Zero, along with Nightshade, were out in the area of the city near where the decoy smugglers had been ambushed the previous night. Since they had a few minutes to themselves, X was talking to Nightshade while Zero went off to do something.

"So, you don't remember anything from before you woke up at HQ?" asked X, who was determined to help Nightshade get his mind back together, mostly so that he could ensure that the mysterious Zero look alike wouldn't go berserk as Zero had done several times.

Nightshade ran a hand through his white ponytail as he thought hard. "Well, I do remember a big, sharp pain that hit me right in the head, and that's about it," he said, rubbing his helmet gem with his other hand.

Zero had first suggested breaking Nightshade's gem, much like his original had been broken, just in case it was used as a means of forging a link for outside mind control. However, after a very thorough examination, Gadget had determined that the crystal was just for show, that it really didn't serve much of a purpose, just like Zero's current crystal.

"Well, the power surge you got when you were absorbing Zero's data _did _fry your memory drive, as well as your original directives. That being the case, I guess that means you'll be a Maverick Hunter like the rest of us," said X, nodding his head.

"Well, since I did get some personality aspects of Zero from this data transfer, I have just as much desire to defeat the Mavericks as he does," said Nightshade, and then his face suddenly became serious. "I especially have to make sure that I don't live with the legacy of my predecessor, the Black Zero. After Zero told me about him, I decided that I would do everything in my power to prevent myself from ending up that same way. I refuse to be a monster."

"Hey, who's up for a cold drink?" called Zero, who suddenly came walking up, carrying three large cups filled with soda. "Here, I didn't know what you would like, Nightshade, so I got you a Dr. Pepper, just like me. I got you your favorite, X, Sprite."

"Thanks, old buddy!" said X, taking a sip from his cup.

"Yeah, thanks, that was cool!" said Nightshade cheerfully, taking a fair-sized swallow of his Dr. Pepper.

Zero took a drink of his own soda. "So, Nightshade, you say that you ran into Aries the Solo Hunter?" he asked, wiping the remaining moisture from around his mouth.

Nightshade nodded. "Yeah, I sure did. I was surprised when I saw that she looked a lot like you, Zero. Is she like your twin sister or something?"

Zero shook his head. "No, she's not related to me. It's just that her creator, Dr. Wilcox, really admired me back when I became a Maverick Hunter, some time before the outbreak of the first Maverick War. I let him study my schematics, or blueprints, and he built her based on his own studies of my construction," he said.

"Wow, I figured you'd be the last Reploid to let a stranger study your construction so he could build his own Reploid," said Nightshade, taking a few more drinks.

"Well, Wilcox was a friend of Dr. Cain, and they had worked together when the Reploids were first being constructed. Besides, X was Dr. Cain's assistant at the time, so he was with Wilcox at all times. It's not like I was afraid of having my data used to raise all seven circles of Hell."

"Excuse me, but can I talk to you?"

The three Hunters turned to where the voice had come from, just as Aries suddenly dropped out of the branches of a tree about ten feet away from them.

"Hey, isn't this a surprise!" said Nightshade, feeling excited to see her again, although he wasn't sure why he was feeling giddy inside.

Aries walked up to them. "Yes, I decided that since you guys were out here, I should take the time to talk to you," she said as naturally as possible. She stole a quick, suspicious glance at Nightshade, but quickly hid it with a friendly smile.

"Well, it seems that you were saved by our newest teammate, Aries," said Zero. "It's good to finally meet you."

"Yes, the feeling is mutual," said Aries, "to you and the famous Megaman X." She turned to look back at Nightshade. "I also wanted to say thank you for saving me back there," she said, trying not to lose her friendly act.

"Well, I'm just glad that you weren't hurt, Aries," said Nightshade. "Anyway, my name is Nightshade Zero Mach-2, but I've shortened it to plain Nightshade."

Aries' eyes actually widened a bit in surprise when she heard his name. _'Nightshade Zero Mach-2? But, that means that he's a second one! Not only that, but his face is completely different!' _she thought, feeling puzzled. _'Still, I shouldn't pass judgment yet. After all, a Reploid like Black Zero could easily have disguised himself. I'll have to find out more information.'_

"Listen, I know you guys are probably really busy," she said, "but I would really like to talk to you guys. Especially you, Nightshade."

"Hey, that's no problem, we're on a full hour lunch break right now," said X with a smile. "Why don't you join us, Aries, that way we can talk while we eat?"

Aries smiled and nodded. "That sounds just fine," she said.

As the four of them walked, Aries hung at the back with Nightshade. Whenever he wasn't looking, she would always steal suspicious looks at him. She still wasn't sure what to think of this new Black Zero, or why he was working with the Maverick Hunters. From what she knew of the one she had seen, he would have probably tried to hack the Hunters to pieces.

_'Okay, Aries, it's time to make your move! If it turns out that he is the same Black Zero that I'm looking for, I'll show him no mercy!'_ she thought.

She was so deep in thought that she almost didn't notice when Nightshade held out a bowl of garlic ramen that he had purchased from a nearby noodle cart. "Hey, this is my favorite ramen flavor!" she said excitedly, before looking at Nightshade in surprise. "But, how did you know I liked this?" she asked.

"I don't really know," said Nightshade with a shrug. "I just had a feeling I should get you this kind." He handed her the bowl, and picked up some of his shark fin ramen with his chopsticks. "Besides, it's always more fun if everyone in the group eats together," he added, giving her his care-free smile, which he always seemed to wear.

Aries couldn't help blushing slightly as she too began eating. She actually pushed all thoughts of questioning him so that she could enjoy herself. She was really starting to wonder if maybe this really was a different Black Zero than the one she remembered. Still, she was determined to ask him herself.

"Hey, how does it taste?" asked X, looking up from his beef ramen.

"It's delicious, but I feel bad for making you guys have to cover me," she said as she discarded the empty bowl.

"Hey, it's no trouble at all," said Nightshade as he put a hand on her shoulder guard. Even though he was just touching the armor, he suddenly felt an odd fluttering in the pit of his stomach, as well as slight warmth in his face. _'Boy, she sure is pretty,' _he thought as he drew his hand away, gazing at her face.

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk to us about?" asked X, his voice slightly muffled due to the noodles he was pulling up into his mouth.

"You might say I'm looking for somebody," said Aries, ready to confront Nightshade. "I'm looking for a Reploid, one that I met during the Third Maverick War."

"What was this Reploid, a friend of yours?" asked Zero, his interest suddenly piqued.

Suddenly, Aries' calm appearance became angry and forbidding. "I'm looking for the black Reploid that killed my creator and destroyed my life!" She glared furiously at Nightshade, quickly drawing and activating her saber. "Black Zero, if that's who you are, I've come to get revenge on you for what you did all those years ago!"

Before any of the three surprised Reploids could respond to this, something large suddenly crashed to the ground near them, nearly knocking them off their feet. It was a massive Mechaniloid that looked like a freaky insect. Its armor was a mixture of red and black, and the end of its hands were tipped with razor sharp blades. Its red eyes burned angrilly as it roared.

"What in the world is that thing?" yelled Aries, almost rooted to the spot in shock.

"Whatever it is, it's not a good thing!" shouted X, preparing his X-Buster. Just then, he saw someone pinned to the ground by one of the Mechaniloid's feet. It was Nightshade!

"Zero, Nightshade's in trouble!" called X to the red Hunter, who was clutching his Z-Saber, looking for an opening.

"Hang on, I'll try to get to him!" said Zero, barely managing to dodge one of the Mechaniloid's blades.

A loud growling grabbed everyone's attention. As they watched, Nightshade suddenly got up, lifting the Mechaniloid's leg off of him…and snapping part of it off as though it were made of matchwood. He raised his head so that his face could be seen, and it had changed dramatically.

His red eyes were wide, almost as though they were brimming with untapped insanity. He was breathing hard, his lips pulled away from his teeth, which seemed to be glistening in a menacing way. He looked like he was ready to kill, and the snarl of rage he made as he drew his saber only further hinted at that.

He slashed at the Mechaniloid with a flurry of rapid strokes of his saber. Although it was a good three times bigger than the crazed swordsman, it was actually backing away from him, occasionally slashing at him with its own blades.

Aries watched the fight, her eyes never once leaving Nightshade. "Look how he fights," she said to herself. "He must be that same one I remember."

"No, you've got the wrong Reploid," said X, startling her slightly. "The Black Zero that you know was destroyed by the real Zero during the Third Maverick War. Nightshade is just another version built by someone else. We found him only yesterday."

Aries looked at him, her mouth almost hanging completely open in shock. "You mean that Nightshade is a totally different Reploid from that Black Zero?" she asked.

"X, look out!" cried Zero.

X and Aries looked just in time to see the Mechaniloid neglecting the savage Nightshade to bring some of its blades speeding towards them. X managed to dash out of the way, but Aries was too freaked out to do anything but stand there, looking in terror at her potential demise.

Suddenly, someone dashed and stopped directly in the path of the blades. Aries closed her eyes for a few brief seconds when she heard the _shunk _noise made by a razor sharp blade striking metal. She couldn't contain her surprise when she saw who it was.

"Nightshade!" she gasped.

Nightshade stood with his back to her. The blades had speared the area surrounding his left shoulder, staining them and his armor with blood and mechanical fluids. The stance he was assuming gave the impression that he had struck with his saber. Moments later, the arm split apart, about three feet from Nightshade's shoulder. The Mechaniloid leapt backwards, crying out.

Nightshade suppressed a groan of pain as he pulled the severed arm from his shoulder and tossed it away. He looked over at X and Zero, who were looking at him in amazement, and with an apologetic grin, said, "Sorry for losing my cool back there, you guys. I'm probably in serious trouble for acting like a spaz."

"Nightshade, you got injured trying to protect me," said Aries in a small voice, causing him to turn towards her. "Why did you defend me, especially after I said I wanted revenge on you?"

Nightshade once again gave her his care-free smile, this time causing her heart(or whatever Reploids have for hearts)to skip a beat. "Don't worry about me, my condition isn't relevant right now," he said. His face suddenly became sad, almost mournful. "Besides, even if parts of my soul have come from Zero and his memories of his friends, I can't just let innocent people get hurt or killed right in front of me. That's the way I feel inside, just myself."

Aries just looked at Nightshade, all of her anger and misconceptions about him suddenly fading away. _'He's completely different from the Black Zero. He doesn't delight in killing, nor does he have any ill intent behind his actions. He can't be that monster I remember from my past,' _she thought, her eyes wide and her heart swelling with warmth.

Nightshade looked at X and Zero. "Zero, do you still have your Z-Buster weapon?" he called, his face serious.

Zero responded by nodding his head and converting his left arm into the cannon.

"Okay, when I say now, both of you hit that thing with your strongest Buster shots!" said Nightshade, suddenly dashing towards the Mechaniloid in a zigzag fashion, his saber held at the ready. When the Mechaniloid charged at him, its good arm raised to strike, Nightshade glanced back at the other two Hunters and yelled, "NOW!"

X and Zero complied, their combined blasts hitting the Mechaniloid right in the area where its upper and lower halves were joined. The main portion of the lower half was blown up, sending the rest of the body up into the air, flailing and shrieking. Nightshade activated his dash jets in such a way that he shot up into the air above the Mechaniloid, his saber raised over his head.

"SCREAMING SPIRIT CUTTER!" he cried, rapidly slashing with his saber. The blade was moving so fast, it seemed that it had become a blue blur, blinking in and out of view without being attached to anything. As Nightshade descended, the Mechaniloid began to split apart at various locations, only to give off a bright light before exploding in an enormous plume of flame. Nightshade landed on the ground in a perfect ninja stance, while flaming debris collapsed to the ground around him.

"Awesome work, Nightshade!" said Zero, returning his Z-Saber to its holster.

"Yeah, you're fast on your way to becoming a master Maverick Hunter!" said X, giving him the thumbs-up.

Nightshade put away his own saber and said, "Yeah, I guess I did okay. At least I didn't kill that thing while I was still crazy."

He suddenly heard a strange noise that he immediately knew was the sound of an activating Buster cannon. He turned completely to his left, and saw Aries pointing her right arm, which was now a Buster cannon, right at his head. It was adorned on the sides and top with a pink, diamond-shaped crystal.

"I know your friends told me that you're not him, but I have to hear the truth from you," she said. She was glaring, but it was forced; in reality, she was hoping to high heaven that this was the wrong Reploid.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the odd sensation of fear she had about the possible response. "That Black Zero, the one who killed my creator and almost completely destroyed my home during the Third Maverick War…was it you?" she asked, bracing herself.

Nightshade stared at her with blank eyes. "I was not even built by that time," he said in a gentle voice. "According to my internal diagnostics, I was first activated a mere three weeks ago. I have no individual memories of that time, nor do I retain any data on my predecessor, the one you seek."

Aries felt a strange sense of relief, as though she had been hoping Nightshade would say he was the wrong Reploid. She lowered her arm, changing it back from the Buster. She lowered her head, afraid to look at his face. _'I jumped to conclusions, and I almost hurt an innocent Reploid because of it. I feel like such a fool,' _she thought to herself. "I-I'm so sorry, Nightshade, for what I said earlier," she said nervously, turning her head slightly to better avoid looking at him. "I should have just tried to find out about you myself before judging you as the Black Zero."

"That doesn't seem like you."

Nightshade's comment caused her head to snap up, so she could look at his face. Instead of looking angry, he looked almost…cheerful.

"Aries, one of the things that come with a soul is the ability to make mistakes. I probably would have done the same thing you did if I were in your position. And besides, you don't seem the person that gets all flustered and upset. Happiness, confidence, and determination, that's what suits you," he said, and he flashed his care-free smile yet again.

For some reason, that smile brightened up her mood in the blink of an eye. She couldn't help first giggling, then laughing at Nightshade's comical version of cheering her up. "Thanks, Nightshade. That was a big help. I'm really glad that you weren't pissed at me," she said.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I've got a feeling life is going to be Hell for me, but I'm not really worried."

"Why is that?" asked Aries, looking curious.

This time, Nightshade's smile was slightly reminiscent of somebody trying to put up a suave front for a hot girl. "Because not only do I have friends in the Maverick Hunters, I also get to work with a babe like you," he said.

Aries blushed like crazy, while X and Zero tried hard to keep from laughing.


	5. Dark Eagle Strikes

**Chapter 5: Dark Eagle Strikes**

"So, it seems that we've lost the Nightshade Mach-2," said Dark Eagle, drumming his fingers together.

He was a massive Reploid, easily ten feet tall. His armor was similar to that of a Reploid military officer, and it was a mixture of black and red. His feathers were dark gray, and he had ghostly white hair that was styled like a Mohawk on top of his head. His left eye looked like a targeting sight. He was sitting on his throne in his secret lair, his black wings folded up behind him, his eyes fixed on the three Reploids in front of him.

The one that responded was the highest ranking of the three. He was a dragon-like Reploid named Tao. His armor was light, and it was a mixture of white and black. On the chest was a yin-yang, and a short, white piece of cloth was in the back, hanging from his belt. Jets were mounted on the sides of both legs. His face was covered by a helmet/mask that had small, wing-like attachments on the sides. His long black hair hung down his back.

"From what we can understand, something in Zero's data caused the data transfer to backfire, frying his memory and directives," said Tao, his voice soft, but still reflecting the power and respect that he commanded from his men. "The only way to bring the Nightshade back to our side would be to try to capture him and bring him back for reprogramming."

The Reploid on Tao's right spoke next. She was a snake Reploid known as Speed Viper. She was green with yellow eyes and armor, and shoulder-length red hair. Up to her waist, she was constructed in a humanoid fashion, but the rest of her was composed of a snake's body, green with a white underbelly. She was coiled up slightly so that she looked like she was sitting.

"I can round up a team of my best soldiers at your convenience, my Lord Dark Eagle," she said, her voice soft and deadly. "We will retrieve the Nightshade and bring him back to you."

Dark Eagle raised his hand, shaking his head as he stood up from his throne. "No, we are not going to bring back the Nightshade," he said, causing the other three to look up at him in surprise. "Nightshade was merely an experiment, a test to determine if we were successful in developing a perfectly functional Quantum Circuit. Now that we know it was a success, we have no further use for him. Let the Maverick Hunters keep him for all I care."

The third Reploid, Saber Wolf, spoke up. His silver gray fur went well with his white and navy blue armor. "My lord, if we are not going to be retrieving the Nightshade, what will be our next step in experimenting with the Quantum technology?" he asked, his clawed hand drumming on his other arm.

Dark Eagle smiled wickedly, and it seemed as if his smile made the throne room suddenly grow dark. "Tell them to proceed with their proposed ideas," he said. "Once we have finished our research, no force on Earth, not even Repliforce or the Maverick Hunters, will be able to stop us!"

* * *

Nightshade drummed his fingers on the surface of his new desk. Three days after the battle in the city park, he finally had his own workspace, and he loved it. True, the paperwork was kind of a pain, but the other Hunters had been very helpful and friendly. Some of them had been suspicious of him at first, but after the smuggling incident, as well as the park battle, everyone had welcomed him.

He had just finished filling out another form when a call came through on the computer monitor on his desk. Curious as to who would be calling him, he pressed the ENTER key to bring up the message. A small window with Alia's image appeared.

"Hey, how are things going for you, Nightshade?" she asked him warmly.

"Oh, I'm adjusting okay, I guess," he said, putting his elbow on the desk and resting his chin on his hand. "Still, I wish I could be doing something besides filling out forms right now. You know, I want to stake out a real son of a bitch in the middle of nowhere, eating take-out food every day and crap like that. You know what I mean."

Alia nodded, and Nightshade could see why Gadget had a thing for her. The new design she had had since the Eighth Maverick War really brought out her beauty, something she was really shy about at times.

"I've always wanted to see what it was like in the field," she said to him. "But, I'm perfectly content to be a Navigator for now, and even if I don't get to go on field assignments, it's no big deal."

Nightshade nodded understandingly. "Anyway, what did you call about, or were you just shooting the breeze?" he asked, raising his head off his hand so he could grab his coffee mug and take a sip.

"Oh, crap, that's right! I nearly forgot about that!" she said, shaking her head quickly. "I was calling to tell you that there's someone here to see you. She said you told her to come here around now to meet you." She gave Nightshade that look that says they have an idea what's happening. "You know, you two have been spending a lot of time together, Nightshade," she said in an almost teasing way.

Nightshade just frowned at her, his eyes half-closed. "Very funny, Alia, I forgot to laugh," he said sarcastically as he got up out of his chair. "Tell her I'll be down there in a few minutes." He cut off the message and headed over to the lift, entered it, and pressed the button for the lobby. The door closed and the lift began its speedy descent.

When the lift reached the lobby, Nightshade quickly stepped out through the doors and entered the main area. He looked around, wondering where she was.

"Nightshade, over here!"

Nightshade turned in the direction of the voice, and smiled when he saw Aries by one of the front desks, waving to him. As he approached, he saw that she was talking to Alia. _'Damn, no wonder she pulled that crap up there,' _he thought to himself. As intelligent, serious, and dedicated as she was on the job, he knew that Alia loved making jokes just as much as anybody.

"Hey, Aries, I'm here," he said cheerfully when he reached her.

"Hi, Nightshade, I'm glad you made it," she said. If the smile she had wasn't enough proof that she was happy to see him, the hug she gave him certainly was. Nightshade returned the hug, blushing slightly.

"So, Aries tells me you two are going to that new café that just opened up near the park," said Alia. "That's awfully 'romantic,' don't you think?" She raised her eyebrows a few times, as though making a "hint, hint" gesture.

"Well, we'd better hurry, Aries," said Nightshade, quickly steering the female Reploid towards the entrance. As he did so, he scowled at Alia, as though he were saying, "Keep your pie-hole shut!"

* * *

The Café Reploid was one of those few places in the city that specifically catered to the needs of Reploids. At first, it was thought that the Humans wouldn't be too kindly disposed towards a place that was targeted at Reploids, but instead, they had taken it as a sign of the eroding barriers between Humans and Reploids.

"Boy, it sure is a beautiful day," said Aries, taking a sip of her peppermint tea. "Days like this haven't exactly been very common."

Nightshade swallowed the bite of cake he had been eating. "Yeah, not since that Dark Eagle creep took Sigma down and took control of virtually all worldwide Maverick activity," he said. "Still, enough about things like that. I was wondering if you could tell me about when you became a Solo Hunter, and what that exactly is."

Aries set her cup down. "Well, Solo Hunters are basically independent Maverick Hunters, meaning that they are not officially appointed Maverick Hunters. They first began surfacing after the Third Maverick War, a few months or so before Repliforce was formed. Maverick attacks were pretty rampant around that time, so it's no surprise that some non-Mavericks were considering going to battle themselves," she said.

"So, they are like freelance Maverick Hunters, so to say," said Nightshade, leaning forward so he could hear better. Aries followed suit before continuing.

"At first, the government was worried about these vigilante Hunters, thinking that they might start to take the law into their own hands. However, after a while, they realized that the Solo Hunters were only attacking those who had been officially declared Mavericks. Since then, the government has pretty much stayed out of the affairs of the Solo Hunters, although both sides still work together."

Nightshade let out a low whistle. "That is what I call plain fascinating," he said. "When did you decide to become a Solo Hunter?"

Aries looked like she wasn't sure she wanted to answer that question, but she did. "It was right after Dr. Wilcox died, during the Third Maverick War," she said quietly. She was blinking quickly, hoping that she didn't start crying. She lost all focus on that, however, when she felt Nightshade put a hand on hers. She looked at him, seeing his face expressing the most genuine sympathy.

"I'm sorry for that," he said. "When I think of the suffering caused by Black Zero, my very predecessor, I can't help but feel that I have an even greater responsibility as a Maverick Hunter. I don't want anybody to have to go through that suffering, especially after hearing about what you went through."

Aries blushed at Nightshade's kind remarks. She remembered that Nightshade had said that some of his personality aspects had come from Zero, but even so, she could see that this wasn't Zero she was talking to. This was Nightshade, a Reploid created in the image of evil, for the purpose of committing evil, but whose sole desire was to protect and serve in the cause of peace.

"Thank you, Nightshade," she said, looking down at the table. "That was very kind of you to say."

Nightshade looked at the small clock on his arm communicator. "Hey, it's almost time for me to report back to HQ," he said, standing up and leaving a few Zenny on the table as payment. "Do you want to walk through the park together?"

Aries smiled and stood up. "I would like that, Nightshade."

The two of them walked side by side, chatting about various topics. Mostly, however, Nightshade would listen to Aries' stories about her life. He was a good listener, probably because he didn't really have much of a story to tell, considering he hadn't been around that long. It didn't matter, though; he was perfectly content to listen to everyone else's story.

As they neared the section of the park that joined the grounds of Maverick Hunter HQ, Aries pulled Nightshade off to the side of the trail behind a large tree.

"What's the matter, Aries?" asked Nightshade, thinking something was wrong.

"I was just wondering, if you're free anytime tomorrow," she began, blushing again, "would you like to meet again?"

Nightshade put his hand under her chin and raised her head until he was looking her in the eye. "If I am, you should know that I'll be available," he said, giving her his famous smile, the one he always saved for her.

"Okay, then I guess I'll see you then," she said, sliding her hands up his arms. _'This is it, Aries,' _she thought. _'This is the moment you've been practicing for the last two days.'_

She closed her eyes halfway, tilted her head slightly and began standing on her tiptoes, her blush intensifying. Before Nightshade could ask what she was doing, she gave him a soft kiss on his lips, which lasted for only a few seconds. She pulled back from his face and saw that his face had turned almost completely red; the only things she could really see were his eyes and his face marks.

Suddenly, his communicator beeped loudly, catching both his attention and Aries'. He held his arm up and said, "Nightshade here, go ahead."

A holographic image of Alia suddenly popped up. "Nightshade, we've got a problem!" she said, clearly in a panic. "We just received a distress signal from X, saying that he's run into some of Dark Eagle's soldiers! You need to get over there and help him!"

"I copy, Alia," said Nightshade. "Where did the signal come from?"

"It came from somewhere in the vicinity of Sector E12, North America," replied Alia. "I've already transmitted the coordinates to your field computer."

Nightshade raised his eyebrows slightly. "Okay, I'm on my way there! Nightshade out!" he said, shutting off the communicator.

"Nightshade, are you going there alone?" asked Aries, who had heard the whole thing.

Nightshade looked at her as though he didn't understand the question. "What do you mean, Aries?" he asked.

"Do you think that there's room for one more?" she asked, clarifying things.

Nightshade grinned and said, "Hold on tight, because it's going to be a bumpy ride!"

The two Reploids held on to each other and teleported off to save X.

* * *

X ducked back behind the boulder as more shots whizzed past him, some of them even hitting the boulder.

He looked around the other side, which fortunately was right next to a large pine tree. There was just enough room between the two so that he could successfully see the mass of Mavericks still trying to shoot him. He could make out about 25 of them, those that still remained after he had been forced to take almost permanent cover out here.

"Damn it, I hope Nightshade or somebody gets here," he growled, whipping around the side of the boulder long enough to squeeze off a full-power charge shot. The shot took two of the Mavericks in the chest, destroying them. At the same time, one of them shot at him, the blast grazing the right side of his helmet.

X spun back around to the back of the boulder, slipping and landing in the snow. He hated winter with a lot of snow, especially in Colorado. He could stand having snow on Christmas, and maybe going on into New Years, but at any other time and place, it was nothing but a complete pain.

He suddenly heard and saw the flash of light that indicated that a Reploid had teleported behind him. He turned around to see who his backup was.

"Nightshade…and Aries?" he asked, looking confused. "Not to sound ungrateful, Aries, but how did you get here?"

"Honestly, did you think I was going to let you and Nightshade have all the fun, X?" asked Aries, arching an eyebrow at the blue Hunter.

Nightshade stole a quick glance at the Mavericks. "Crap, looks like you have your work cut out for you," he said, looking at X as though surprised that he was still alive.

"Yeah, but now that you two are here, we should be able to take care of this," said X, checking something with his X-Buster. "Okay, I've set my Buster to Rapid Fire, and I'll use it to keep them busy for a while. You two can give them the Samurai Special, if you want."

Nightshade and Aries both grinned wickedly and drew their sabers. "Leave everything to us, X," they said together.

"Okay, here I GO!" yelled X, running from the cover of the boulder and firing at the Mavericks. Just as he'd hoped, they were too busy trying to dodge his shots and shoot him to notice that Nightshade and Aries were dashing towards them at top speed, their sabers held in attack positions.

"Aries, you take the right flank! I'll take the left one!" yelled Nightshade as they closed in on the unsuspecting Mavericks.

"You got it, Nightshade! Let's kick these pigs!" responded Aries, splitting away from Nightshade and slicing into the Mavericks, who realized too late that they had been fooled.

X watched as the two Reploids weaved and slashed about their enemies. It was like watching a ballet, the two lead dancers practically moving in rhythm with each other as they battled their common foe. "Now _that _is what I call incredible," said X to himself as he watched them. "It's too bad Aries isn't an official Maverick Hunter, or I'd recommend that those two become partners."

With a quick slash, Nightshade took down the last Maverick. "Well, that takes care of that," he said, striking a victory pose.

"Yeah, who's bad? Uh-huh, I'm bad!" said Aries, also striking a victory pose.

"Awesome work, you two," said X, coming up and giving Nightshade a high five. "You saved my bacon out here."

"X, what were those Mavericks doing in Colorado?" asked Aries. "Was there something out here that they were looking for?"

"Yeah, there's a military research facility a few miles from here," said X, pointing somewhere in the distance. "Apparently, they were going to invade the facility and steal some equipment. Unfortunately, even though I kept them from getting to the facility, some of them ambushed a convoy that was headed in that general direction."

"So, they still got away with some supplies," said Nightshade, putting his saber back. "So, were any of Dark Eagle's commanders here?"

X frowned, and said, "Weirdly enough, I didn't see any of them. They probably split with the soldiers who bagged the convoy."

"Well, now that we've completed the mission and all, can we please go back home?" said Aries, shivering slightly. "I'm starting to get cold here."

"Sounds fine to me," said X. "Let's go home."

* * *

Up in the sky above where the three Hunters had once stood, Tao hovered in the air. He grinned wickedly as he replayed their conversation in his head. He held up and tapped his arm communicator.

"What is it?" said Dark Eagle's voice, slightly distorted by the weather interference.

"Mission accomplished, my lord," said Tao proudly. "The convoy we intercepted had more than the necessary equipment we needed. The troops should be back at base within the hour."

"Excellent work, Tao. I'm very pleased with you," said Dark Eagle. "Report back to base immediately for a debriefing."

Tao shut off the communicator. "At last, the time of the Reploid is about to begin," he sneered before teleporting.


End file.
